DIY electric bike

Are you tired of biking everywhere? Do you wish you had an easy mode of transportation that would go faster than bicycling with less effort? Sounds impossible right? Well fear no more, the perfect DIY beunmissie approved solution is here! (Of course you could always just buy an electric bike or use a GO-scooter, but where’s the fun in that?)

In this article we’ll tell you exactly how to build your own electric bicycle.

To start off here’s a small shopping list:

- 1 bicycle - An old starter motor from a car (the bigger the engine the bet ter, diesel starter motors would also be more suitable) (ask your local scrapyard) - The start relay that belongs with the starter motor - 1 car battery (preferably one that belongs in the car you got the starter motor from) - 2 thick copper wires. (ask your local scrapyard) - 2 thinner copper wires - 2 battery clamps - A press button - A small rubber wheel - Some random hardware - Some straps

Some required tools for this project will be:

- Angle grinder/hacksaw - Drill and drill bits - Welding machine - Some basic wrenches and plier.

Once everything is acquired the “beuning” can begin. We start of by preparing the starter motor. First take of the aluminium bracket and cut the drive axle in order to take of the pinion gear.

Figure 1: take of the aluminium housing(blue) and cut the axle at the red line Once the axle is cut you can slide of the pinion gear. Now put the aluminium cover back on and weld a piece of threaded rod to the cut axle so you end up with something like this:

Figure 2: the threaded rod welded to the motor axle

You now have a way of mounting your wheel to the motor, simply screw (or weld, or whatever, just make sure the wheel is attached to the motor) your driven wheel (e.g. a shopping cart wheel) on the threaded rod so you get something like in figure 3. After this your motor is ready to be mounted on your bicycle.